Reality Check.

[Loyal]

I decided to go to a NFC West Troll Site that I go to at times to give other fans shyte (they give it back, so it's all good).
I know I am at the optimistic side of fans here, by adjusting my expectation of 9 wins this year. I think this team is better than any Fisher 7-9 team, with much better possibilities to have a more nimble, and explosive offense than Fisher could imagine. I think Gurley and Goff will benefit greatly by an improved Oline. Losing GRob and gaining Whittworth and Sullivan, with the best players playing..How could we not be dramatically improved on the Oline? Just having Woods, Kupp, and maybe Spruce as highly skilled route runners and Goff having an extra second or two of protection, our passing numbers should be radically improved. Get some first downs through the air, and Gurley is unleashed! This all may take a few games to come together, but we should start rolling offensively!

Phillips getting to craft the best 3-4 hybrid defense should be WAY fun to watch.

I tried to tell my friendly trolls this at the other site. They of course act as though nothing ever changes with the Rams. Same ole Sorry Assed Rams. The most doubtful are saying we win 2 games this year and the less trollish ones are saying 6 wins. They only want to call Goff a bust, and Gurley as a flash in the pan. They say Kupp is worhless-average because of the low competition he faced in college. Woods? never a number one WR, might be an ok #2 WR but simply average. They have the advantage of being negative and right the last few years, so they don't want to hear what we see/think. The thing about being negative, you will be right a lot of the time, especially wih Linehan, Spags, and Fisher in charge...

A lot of doubters out there, and this forum is a refuge from the haters! So who is right?

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

We are.

.

 

[den-the-coach]

Have to start winning before you change people's mind and that's well informed sports individuals unlike some on social media, but let's be honest here, if we were not Ram fans and rooted for the Baltimore Ravens for example, would we really think the Rams were on the rise? I think not, so as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding!

 

[Loyal]

Have to start winning before you change people's mind and that's well informed sports individuals unlike some on social media, but let's be honest here, if we were not Ram fans and rooted for the Baltimore Ravens for example, would we really think the Rams were on the rise? I think not, so as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding!

but that would be greatly due to not following the Rams closely at all. As Raven fans, we'd listen to people like Keshawn Johnson and think stupid things like he does. We would hate out of ignorance....

 

[den-the-coach]

We would hate out of ignorance....

Not really, you can look at some teams and see they are on the rise like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for example, but the Rams have not been to the playoffs since 2004 and had not had a winning record since that year either, I can understand if other football fans feel the Rams are still a bad football team, they will have to win in order to gain some respect and I'm fine with that.

It's not like the Rams were 7-9 or 8-8, last year they were 4-12 with the worst offense in the NFL so after this season under the Wunderkind, we'll have some sizzle and others will start to take notice.

 

[Loyal]

Not really, you can look at some teams and see they are on the rise like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for example, but the Rams have not been to the playoffs since 2004 and had not had a winning record since that year either, I can understand if other football fans feel the Rams are still a bad football team, they will have to win in order to gain some respect and I'm fine with that.

It's not like the Rams were 7-9 or 8-8, last year they were 4-12 with the worst offense in the NFL so after this season under the Wunderkind, we'll have some sizzle and others will start to take notice.

Like the 1998 Rams were?:rockon:

 

[den-the-coach]

Like the 1998 Rams were?:rockon:

History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

 

[Loyal]

History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

But haters think the Rams will always be horrible, from past history..I choose the 1998-1999 example!

 

[den-the-coach]

But haters think the Rams will always be horrible,

Haters will always hate so I pay them no attention and I root for me team and I say it loud and proud and many true football fans respect loyalty. When I walk out of a sports bar after draft day, it's the Brown, Jet & Lion fans I shake hands with and wish them the best of luck, not the Patriots, Steelers or Giant fans.

 

[Loyal]

Haters will always hate so I pay them no attention and I root for me team and I say it loud and proud and many true football fans respect loyalty. When I walk out of a sports bar after draft day, it's the Brown, Jet & Lion fans I shake hands with and wish them the best of luck, not the Patriots, Steelers or Giant fans.

I was only mentioning the haters always use past history, to project future suckiness, and I choose the 1998-1999 example of 4-12 to Super Bowl champion! (I like my example better!)

 

[Psycho_X]

I've always believed we had better talent than our record the last couple of years. It's why i've been so frustrated at Fisher. I've felt that he put together a decent team overall... at the very least a 8-8 or 9-7 team... but his offensive coaching choices were so truly awful and his philosophy in regards to the offense. I always thought he could use a Dick Vermeil type adjustment like that 98-99 offseason. But it never happened and his stubborness got him fired.

McVay has a better team to play with than a lot of people give him credit for I think. And adding Wade Phillips was just icing on the cake. I don't see any reason this team can't be 9-7 or 10-6 if they are lucky in the injury department. But been burned too many times... McVay has to prove it to me whether i like him or not.

 

[Memphis Ram]

Until this organization does something, fans of other teams have every right to down the Rams.

I hope for the best and believe this team could possibly pull off a 9 to 10 win season if EVERYTHING went right and the ball bounced their way in a few games.

But, when I take my Rams Fan Goggles Off, I can also see that:

- The Oline looks good now, but it could turn out worse than before if hit with the same injury bugs as prior Olines.

I mean, they just paid big money to a contract year LT who will turn 36 during the season and his backup is an injury prone Rodger Saffold. The starting center will be 32 prior to the season and has had back problems in his recent past. Jamon Brown has the measurables to be a solid RT, but he had the same to be a solid OG, too and wasn't on game day.

- Until proven otherwise, the WR core should scare no one on paper unless the rookies beat the norm and play above their heads. And with the exception of Tavon they might wind up with one of the slower WR cores in the entire NFL.

- Jared Goff is still a significant question mark like most college spread offense QBs entering the NFL have been.

- Defensively, a Wade Phillips defense works best with quality man coverage CBs and it's questionable if the Rams even have one on the roster. And the expected starting FS is undersized and has zero ball skills.

- Mark Barron could potential be an asset vs. the pass at ILB, but a liability and/or speed bump on the way to the secondary vs. the run.

- Aaron Donald is unhappy about his contract and may hold out missing valuable time and a heavily counted on Robert Quinn hasn't played more than 9 games since 2014.

- And finally to top it off, we have a rookie head coach who may have his rookie bumps as a game day decision maker.

<Rams Fan Goggles On Again>

 

[Afro Ram]

I believe the offense is going to be better as a whole. This team will have a better time moving the ball and actually sustaining drives maybe even scoring touchdowns. But the secondary is a super concern and that could be costly in big games against high scoring teams.
Also his team is Young and has a lot of new parts so we're going to need a lot of chemistry and fast.
I firmly believe that McVay has increased the talent on the roster, but if he can get it to preform and fast, that is going to be another story.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Get some first downs through the air, and Gurley is unleashed! This all may take a few games to come together, but we should start rolling offensively!

Pretty much my exact words from a few weeks ago. I happen to believe this will be the difference if it is meant to happen this season. Goff NEEDS to hit his receivers early and often in the beginning of the season if we are to push defenders out of the box for fear of being burned big time. My only concern is with so many young and inexperienced receivers, I hesitate to bet on immediate success with much of this unit. Not that they won't get where we want eventually, but rookie receivers do sometimes disappoint.
Real reason for my increasing optimism is with Whitworth & Sullivan, even more so than Goff. I always thought Goff, with proper development, would become what we expect of him, ... but acquiring Whitworth and removing GRob is like replacing Rosie O'Donnell with Jenifer Lawrence. Even at 35, Whitworth is an Abrams Tank on the left side of our line. We haven't had a quality LT since Orlando Pace, and even he petered out at 30 pretty much, ... if Whitworth can maintain his health & stamina for a couple more years, giving Goff ample time to grow, his transformation into a true 'franchise' type QB will be less of a question and more of a point in fact. Same goes for Sullivan & Saffold, although health has been a question for these two, if they avoid the dark side, the left side of this OL will absolutely dominate. If our receivers can perform successfully within the first few games, ours will be an offense few will be prepared for. Unleashing Gurley after some receiving success will be the coup de gras, finally allowing McVay to control the flow of the offensive side of the game. jmo.

 

[tomas]

I decided to go to a NFC West Troll Site that I go to at times to give other fans shyte (they give it back, so it's all good).
I know I am at the optimistic side of fans here, by adjusting my expectation of 9 wins this year. I think this team is better than any Fisher 7-9 team, with much better possibilities to have a more nimble, and explosive offense than Fisher could imagine. I think Gurley and Goff will benefit greatly by an improved Oline. Losing GRob and gaining Whittworth and Sullivan, with the best players playing..How could we not be dramatically improved on the Oline? Just having Woods, Kupp, and maybe Spruce as highly skilled route runners and Goff having an extra second or two of protection, our passing numbers should be radically improved. Get some first downs through the air, and Gurley is unleashed! This all may take a few games to come together, but we should start rolling offensively!

Phillips getting to craft the best 3-4 hybrid defense should be WAY fun to watch.

I tried to tell my friendly trolls this at the other site. They of course act as though nothing ever changes with the Rams. Same ole Sorry Assed Rams. The most doubtful are saying we win 2 games this year and the less trollish ones are saying 6 wins. They only want to call Goff a bust, and Gurley as a flash in the pan. They say Kupp is worhless-average because of the low competition he faced in college. Woods? never a number one WR, might be an ok #2 WR but simply average. They have the advantage of being negative and right the last few years, so they don't want to hear what we see/think. The thing about being negative, you will be right a lot of the time, especially wih Linehan, Spags, and Fisher in charge...

A lot of doubters out there, and this forum is a refuge from the haters! So who is right?

You know you're right

 

[Loyal]

You know you're right

I know, I drive them freakin nuts! lol..ha!

 

[Mojo Ram]

The universal Goff is a bust talk you hear EVERYWHERE from fans, experts, non experts, talking heads are the most ignorant takes out there right now when the Rams are being discussed.

I can understand those people being skeptical of the Rams having a good season (I get that) but he played in like 7 games in one of the worst offenses in history(before he was even drafted) with awful coaching. I mean...the jury is still very much out on Goff...yet all these bozo's are proclaiming he's already done. Its hilarious.

As a Rams fan who tells things how i see it, i don't think we picked the right QB...but even i know enough to realize that it's WAY too early to call him a bust. Its nonsense.

 

[fearsomefour]

I echo what some others have said. Have to see it first at this point. No team has had the run of failure (streak of non winning seasons) the Rams have. We can't bag on fans of any team.
It's hard to see from "the inside" but the Rams haven't had a winning season in 13 years. Oakland is now a playoff team, Detroit has been to the playoffs, even Cleveland has had more success in that time frame. All of the different approaches....young coach, established coach, an O guy, a D guy....none of it has worked.
All of that said a 10% across the board improvement on D gives the team one of the better Ds in the league. I this likely could happen given Phillips concept of keeping it simple, not overcomicating like Williams would do at times. Fewer big plays and more consistency and they are there. The O almost has to improve. Nowhere to go but up. As usual, the O line health and QB play are the keys.
Is there potential? Hell yes.
Those first three games will tell us a lot. First things first. Don't play a lot of teams we are better than on paper as we stand now, gotta beat SF twice.
Anyway, I don't drink the kool aid really at this point. Gotta see it first.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Since 1989, I've dealt with guys saying..."you're Rams suck"....then 1999 happened. for 3 years we were deadly....2004 was the last instance when I could truly defend a great organization. Friends have gone back to, "you're Rams suck"...for the last 12 years...they have. That's reality...

 

[nighttrain]

Pretty much my exact words from a few weeks ago. I happen to believe this will be the difference if it is meant to happen this season. Goff NEEDS to hit his receivers early and often in the beginning of the season if we are to push defenders out of the box for fear of being burned big time. My only concern is with so many young and inexperienced receivers, I hesitate to bet on immediate success with much of this unit. Not that they won't get where we want eventually, but rookie receivers do sometimes disappoint.
Real reason for my increasing optimism is with Whitworth & Sullivan, even more so than Goff. I always thought Goff, with proper development, would become what we expect of him, ... but acquiring Whitworth and removing GRob is like replacing Rosie O'Donnell with Jenifer Lawrence. Even at 35, Whitworth is an Abrams Tank on the left side of our line. We haven't had a quality LT since Orlando Pace, and even he petered out at 30 pretty much, ... if Whitworth can maintain his health & stamina for a couple more years, giving Goff ample time to grow, his transformation into a true 'franchise' type QB will be less of a question and more of a point in fact. Same goes for Sullivan & Saffold, although health has been a question for these two, if they avoid the dark side, the left side of this OL will absolutely dominate. If our receivers can perform successfully within the first few games, ours will be an offense few will be prepared for. Unleashing Gurley after some receiving success will be the coup de gras, finally allowing McVay to control the flow of the offensive side of the game. jmo.

LOT OF IF'S, but i'm all in. Go Rams
train